Aizen's expression darkened.
Three times.
Three times he had been prevented from completing Kyōka Suigetsu's release.
The Hollow before him either possessed impossible instinct…
—or knowledge he should not have.
Meanwhile, Sombravida's condition was worsening.
His reiatsu was inferior. Vastly inferior.
If Aizen abandoned hypnosis entirely and fought seriously, Sombravida would be crushed by raw spiritual pressure alone.
Aizen slowly sheathed his Zanpakutō.
Then—
Boom.
His reiatsu exploded outward.
The pressure distorted the sand beneath their feet.
He raised one hand calmly.
"Bakudō #63 — Sajō Sabaku."
Golden chains erupted from the ground.
"Bakudō #73 — Tozanshō."
A transparent crystalline barrier descended from above.
"Bakudō #75 — Gochūtekkan."
Five massive iron pillars crashed downward.
All three spells were cast without incantation.
Simultaneously.
Sombravida slashed apart two chains.
A Cero shattered Tozanshō mid-descent—
But the five pillars struck him squarely.
The ground cratered.
"Hado #63 — Raikōhō."
A beam of concentrated lightning detonated toward Sombravida.
Sombravida roared—
Cero met Raikōhō head-on.
The explosion carved another trench through the desert.
Before the dust settled—
"Hado #88 — Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō."
A far more massive torrent of lightning descended.
Sombravida bit down hard—
Blood filled his mouth—
A compressed Cero Oscuras formed.
The two beams collided.
The sky itself flashed white.
When the smoke cleared—
Sombravida shattered the remaining pillars and staggered upright.
He was breathing heavily.
His reiatsu was collapsing.
Aizen's, by contrast—
Barely fluctuated.
"Bakudō #99 — Kin."
Cloth-like restraints erupted from every direction.
They wrapped around Sombravida's torso, limbs, neck—
Stone slabs manifested to anchor them.
Sombravida was crushed flat against the earth.
He tried to break free—
Nothing moved.
Not even a centimeter.
Aizen approached slowly.
"Impressive, Sombravida-kun."
His tone was analytical.
"I have subdued Hollows with greater raw reiatsu far more easily than this."
He removed a small object from his sleeve.
A translucent cube.
At its center—
A faintly glowing blue-white sphere.
Sombravida's pupils tightened.
The Hōgyoku.
"Incomplete," Aizen said calmly. "But sufficient for experimentation."
He stepped closer.
"This device responds to desire. It erodes the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami."
He placed it gently against Sombravida's forehead.
"Let us observe your reaction."
Pain.
Not ordinary pain.
Shinigami reiatsu flooded into Sombravida's Hollow core.
Opposing spiritual polarities collided violently inside him.
His Hollow power resisted.
The Hōgyoku reacted.
It did not "grant" power—
It destabilized balance.
The two forces tore at one another.
Sombravida's scream shook the battlefield.
His reiatsu surged wildly.
The restraints of Kin trembled violently—
Cracks formed.
Aizen watched intently.
Recording.
Calculating.
Studying.
Finally—
Boom.
The bindings shattered.
Sombravida collapsed to one knee.
Reiatsu chaotic.
Unstable.
Partially fused energy spiraled within him uncontrollably.
Aizen withdrew the Hōgyoku calmly.
"As expected. The present output is insufficient."
He had not empowered Sombravida.
He had exhausted him further.
Sombravida's breathing was ragged.
Spiritual pathways inside him were in disarray.
"So," Aizen asked gently, "will you reconsider?"
Sombravida laughed weakly.
"You were never going to spare me."
Aizen smiled faintly.
"Correct."
Sombravida reached into spatial storage.
Half of the Ancient Hollow's mask.
He crushed it between his fangs and swallowed.
Reiatsu surged violently.
Temporarily spiking into mid-level Vasto Lorde territory.
Aizen's eyes gleamed.
"How fascinating."
They vanished simultaneously.
Blades collided midair.
Shockwaves rippled outward.
Despite inferior pressure—
Sombravida's reiatsu density allowed him to resist.
But not for long.
He knew it.
He needed to retreat.
Find an opening.
But Aizen sensed hesitation.
"Distraction is fatal."
Their blades clashed—
Aizen's reiatsu surged higher.
Sombravida faltered.
Just slightly.
That was enough.
Aizen struck.
Sombravida was sent flying.
Midair—
The Hōgyoku flared again.
This time—
It began drawing Hollow reiatsu outward.
Sombravida's internal energy destabilized violently.
His control shattered.
Aizen spoke calmly:
"Bakudō #61 — Rikujōkōrō."
Six rods pinned Sombravida in midair.
"Hado #90 — Kurohitsugi."
A black coffin manifested.
It swallowed him whole.
Inside—
Countless spiritual blades materialized.
They pierced.
Slashed.
Shredded.
Sombravida roared—
Cero Oscuras detonated—
The coffin cracked—
Exploded outward—
At that exact instant—
Aizen held his sword vertically.
The Hōgyoku flared brilliant blue.
Sombravida's body froze.
Complete paralysis.
Not Bakudō.
The Hōgyoku destabilizing his core at the worst possible moment.
He could not blink.
Could not move.
Aizen's voice was quiet.
"Shatter… Kyōka Suigetsu."
Glass shattered.
Reality fractured.
The world inverted.
And then—
Pain.
Unimaginable pain.
By the time Sombravida regained perception—
Aizen had already sheathed his blade.
Blood poured from dozens—no, hundreds—of cuts.
Each deep.
Each precise.
He collapsed.
Defeated.
From a distant cliff—
Nel had been watching.
She had not intervened.
The reiatsu alone would have erased her instantly.
But when Sombravida froze—
When Aizen calmly butchered him—
She broke concealment.
She rushed forward.
Aizen glanced sideways.
"Oh? Another one."
He assessed her instantly.
Peak Adjuchas.
Healing-type.
"Pity," he murmured.
Nel fell beside Sombravida.
"My lord! My lord!"
She poured healing fluids.
Applied emergency reagents.
But Sombravida's organs were nearly destroyed.
Even high-speed regeneration struggled.
Sombravida's eyes fluttered open.
"N… Nel?"
Tears streamed down her face.
"My lord, please—"
"Go."
His voice was faint.
"The enemy… too strong."
"No! We leave together!"
She tried to lift him.
Sombravida stared past her—
At Aizen.
Those calm, calculating eyes.
A predator observing prey.
If Nel stayed—
She would die.
Or worse.
He gathered the last of his strength.
"N… Nel…"
He shoved her away.
"Go! Live! Protect the survivors!"
"My lord—!"
"Go!"
Sombravida forcefully pushed Nel aside and teleported towards Aizen.
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